There’s no denying that this full-time VR lifestyle is very different from the one we left behind. We had no idea what we were doing when we launched in the fall of 2018. I feel confident saying that we have all adjusted to living in an RV full time with flying colors! Along the way, we’ve found items that have made this lifestyle easier and more fun. We’ve put together a list of our must-have outdoor RV accessories that we highly recommend, whether you only camp a few times a year or go full-time.
Generator
We do a lot of boondocking, or dry camping. This would not be possible without our generator. We conserve electricity as much as humanly possible when we’re not plugged in, but when we need to charge electronics, turn on the lights at night, or use the smoothie maker, we need to turn on the ole’ generator. We chose the WEN 56200i Super Quiet 2000-Watt Portable Inverter Generator. It’s super quiet, efficient, and powers all of our appliances except for the AC. It’s similar to a Honda and Yamaha generator, but about half the price!
Solar setup
While our generator is great for nights and cloudy days, we are more than grateful for the solar system our rig came with. It gets us through most days while we travel! We have a 100W panel that came with our RV when we bought it and installed a UXCell MPPT 20A charge controller before we hit the road. The system works great for charging our Renogy 100ah Gel batteries and allows us to save gas on the generator and still have power!
Drinking water hose
You may think that any old hose will do to fill your fresh water tank. Think again! We first bought just a standard green garden hose to get tap water in our tiny house, but found the tough garden house too hard to work with. It folded easily and was a pain to roll up and put away when not in use. We ended up ditching that hose and buying a lightweight, strong, kink-resistant Zero-G garden hose. As its name suggests, it is light and does not bend. The best part is that it’s easy to store in the basement of the RV when we’re not using it!
Water filter
We fill our fresh water in some pretty random places. When you’re not at a campground with hookups, it might be at a gas station, roadside rest area, or city park. To ensure our water is clean and for your peace of mind, we never fill the fresh water tank without our water filter. It fits directly to the faucet and water hose and filters the water at the source. Removes aluminum, bad taste, cadmium, heavy metals, hydrogen sulfide, iron, lead, mercury, odor and turbidity. I have had water from the same source with and without our filter and it is amazing to see the difference. Our water is so much better with the filter!
Sewer hose & support
It is a dirty job to deal with the black and gray tanks, but someone has to do it. To make that job easier, we wanted to make sure his equipment was reliable. Camco RhinoFLEX 15ft RV Sewer Hose Kit was our choice for the hose. A sturdy but easy-to-handle hose. You will find everything you need in the kit, including a swivel fitting, a translucent elbow with a 4-in-1 dump station fitting, and storage caps. Camco 20ft Sidewinder RV Sewer Hose Support was our choice for the “stinky slinky” support. Everything flows smoothly with it and it’s easy to use.
Fittings for Wye
Two sewer hoses at a time make life easier for us. Each for the black and gray tanks in the galley. The sewer hoses won’t need to be touched or moved around as much. The WYE fitting simplifies dealing with the sewage system and keeps everything flowing smoothly.
Level blocks
Are you familiar with unleveled RVs? Your balance can be thrown off by living on a boat. When we arrive at a new campsite, we level our rig first. As a result of their durability and effectiveness, we are very satisfied with our leveling blocks.
Chocks
The first thing we do when we arrive at a new campsite is chock the wheels of our RV. Unhitching the rig is easier when we have chocks to hold it in place. Everyone and everything stays safe and sound this way.
Circuit analyzer & surge protector
Several campgrounds have reported faulty electrical hook-ups. Whenever we are at a campsite, we test the campsite’s outlet before plugging in, in order to protect our RV and to ensure our safety. In this way, we can verify that the electrical box is functioning as it should.
